Cincinnati heads to Stillwater, Oklahoma for a Saturday night primetime matchup with the Oklahoma St. Cowboys. In the midst of conference play and now in the latter half of the season, Cincinnati is still looking for that prized first Big 12 win. The Mike Gundy-led Cowboys come into this one as winners of three in a row and have a conference record of 3-1, good for a second-place tie in the league. It’ll be a tall task for Cincinnati. Here are some things to know about Oklahoma St. and how the Bearcats can try to steal this one on the road.
Ollie Gordon and the Run Game
Oklahoma St.’s offense is led by true sophomore running back Ollie Gordon. He’s the type of guy that opponents need a specific game plan for. Gordon has gashed defenses all year and shows no signs of slowing down. He ranks first in the country in carries of 20+ yards, fifth in rushing yards per game, and well inside the top 15 for pretty much every key rushing metric. The 6-1, 211-pound back has 29 carries in back-to-back games coming into this one. He went for 168 yards against Kansas, then 282 yards and four scores against West Virginia a week ago. It isn’t exactly the time you want to be playing against this guy.
The good news for Bearcats fans is that the run defense is what they hang their hat on. Cincinnati ranks 14th in the country, giving up just 97 yards per game on the ground. Something’s got to give here on Saturday night.
The Cowboy Air Attack
Veteran journeymen quarterback Alan Bowman will be under center for Oklahoma St. Starting as a true freshman in 2018 at Texas Tech, Bowman made a few stops before landing in Gundy’s air raid system for his sixth year of college football this season. Expect the Cowboys to sling it despite Gordan’s success on the ground. To date, they throw it on 55% of their plays. Bowman hasn’t had a game with less than 35 attempts since week three. During the first three weeks of the season, the Cowboys rotated quarterbacks. Since Bowman became the guy, he’s been slinging it. He has just shy of 1,300 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions on the year. Bowman is a true pocket passer, so don’t expect him to get loose and create many big plays with his legs.
The leading receiver for the Cowboys is number 80, Brennan Presley. The 5-8 wideout has 36 catches for 279 yards and four touchdowns this season. He’s accompanied by Jaden Bray, who leads the team in yards with 349. Rashod Owens and De’Zhaun Stribling will also be in the mix. Oklahoma St. throws it a lot but isn’t terribly efficient. It’s 80th in the country in completion percentage at just 58% and 67th in yards with 228 a game.
This could be a game in which the struggling Cincinnati secondary can get back on track by limiting big plays and even forcing Bowman and the Oklahoma St. offense to turn it over.
Cowboy Defense
The defense for the orange and black isn’t a unit that’s been great this year. It’s giving up over 400 yards of offense a game, with 160 of it coming on the ground. It’s no secret that Cincinnati’s offense has been struggling to stay afloat, scoring just 20 points a game. However, this is a solid opportunity to break out a bit against a defense that gives up 28 points a game.
Nick Martin anchors the defense here at the linebacker position. Number four is going to be all over the place as he has 71 total tackles, good for 15th in the country. Martin also adds an interception, a forced fumble, and four sacks to his stats. He’s the guy for them on defense and is going to make some plays; he recorded 17 tackles in two of the last three games. Collin Oliver will be by his side and has three forced fumbles himself this year to go with his 45 tackles.
Safety/Rover Kendal Daniels is a tackling machine from the position, having 57 of them, good for second on the team. Two other safeties, Trey Rucker and Cameron Epps, will look to contribute in the secondary and force Emory Jones into some bad decisions.
Keys to The Game
Stopping Gordon
Gordon has four straight games with over 100 yards rushing. He’s been a bellcow for this offense and a major reason why the Cowboys have won three in a row. As mentioned, the Cincinnati run defense is stout. It’s to be seen whether linebacker Dorian Jones will be good to go, as he played a bit banged up last week. Redshirt freshman linebacker Jonathan Thompson has been playing well in his place. It’s a huge game for this stellar defensive line, as Dontay Corelone, Jowon Briggs, and Eric Phillips will need their A games. Justin Wodtly and Malik Vann will also need to continue being great rotational pieces on this Cincinnati front in order to slow down Gordon and the Oklahoma St. rushing attack.
Win the Turnover Game
One of the biggest points so far this season for the UC defense is that it hasn’t turned over the opponent much. In eight games, it has created just seven turnovers, particularly just three interceptions. That ranks 115th in the country. Oklahoma St. generally does a good job at taking care of the ball, having just seven turnovers lost, five interceptions, and two fumbles. It would be great to see someone like Justin Harris or Jordan Young make a play downfield on Saturday night. Linebacker Deshawn Pace has been somewhat of a ball hawk in his career; his ability to create havoc could be huge for Cincinnati.
Snapping the Skid
Cincinnati comes into this one at the very bottom of the Big 12 as losers of five straight. A 2-5 record is not familiar territory for Cincy fans over the past few years. The Bearcats go into Cowboy country as 7.5-point underdogs. Vegas is expecting one of Cincinnati’s higher-scoring affairs in this one against Oklahoma St., with the total set at 53.
Bearcat quarterback Emory Jones is going to have to play well. Expect Corey Kiner to continue being successful and relied on in the run game. Corleone and company will have to stuff Gordan as much as they can if UC wants to win this one. It should be a lively environment in another new Big 12 foe’s stadium with an eight o’clock kick-off. Scott Satterfield and Cincinnati have to put together a game and earn a big win rather sooner than later; could this be the week to do it?
